This week is National Public Safety Telecommunicators week and we have been hearing from dispatchers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department. Today, Sue Fox, Chief Dispatcher at the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department, tells us about the dispatchers there.

“We have ten dispatchers and they are all EMD certified for Emergency Medical Dispatching and they will take care of all pre-arrival instructions for a person who calls in needing assistance from 9-1-1,” explained Sue Fox. “We also receive quite a bit of paperwork from the court, whether it be warrants or civil papers, and we process those papers and distribute them to the proper locations.”

Sue Fox says there are many memorable calls that the dispatch center has handled and each day is unique.

“The work is always changing. You never know what you’re going to have from one day to the next so it doesn’t get too boring or routine. We’re always learning and it’s always a learning process.”

This week is set aside to recognize the dispatchers on a job well done.

“They are the first responders. Their job is a very stressful job that they don’t get the recognition they always deserve and they’re doing a great job.”

Pulaski County Sheriff, Michael Gayer, says the dispatchers are the heart of the Sheriff’s Department.

“They are the unsung heroes in law enforcement,” said Sheriff Gayer. “They’re the people that work behind the scenes, unlike the officers who are out there everyday in the eye of the public. The dispatchers are the ones who are the lifeline for an officer when he gets in trouble and when he needs help or assistance. The dispatcher is the one who he relies on and depends on, as well as numerous calls they take everyday – administrative calls and of course the emergency 9-1-1 calls. They are highly skilled people who can give life saving information over the phone to help save a loved one and prolong his life until emergency response crews arrive and do their thing. They are the unsung heroes that don’t get all the attention that the officers do and other people in law enforcement.”